This invention relates to interactive television program guide systems, and more particularly, to interactive television program guide systems that allow users to record programs and program guide data on a media server.
Cable, satellite, and broadcast television systems provide viewers with a large number of television channels. Viewers have traditionally consulted printed television program schedules to determine the programs being broadcast at a particular time. More recently, interactive television program guides have been developed that allow television program information to be displayed on a user's television. Interactive television program guides allow the user to navigate through television program listings using a remote control. In a typical program guide, various groups of television program listings are displayed in predefined or user-defined categories. Listings are typically displayed in a list, grid, or table.
Program listings and other program guide data are typically provided by a satellite uplink facility to a number of cable system headends. Each headend distributes the program guide data to a number of users. Interactive television program guides are typically implemented on the users' set-top boxes. A typical set-top box is connected to a user's television and videocassette recorder. Program guide systems that allow users to record programs are described, for example, in Ellis et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/924,239, filed Sep. 5, 1997, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Such systems are deficient in a number of respects. The processing and storage capabilities of the set-top box and videocassette recorder are generally limited. This, in turn, may limit the functionality of the guide. Videocassette recorders may add significantly to the cost of in-home television equipment. They are mechanical systems, prone to failure, and their proper operation relies in part on users setting them properly (i.e., remembering to put a tape in). Setting up a VCR to work cooperatively with a program guide may be a complex process in some systems and may frustrate users. In addition, users cannot record multiple programs simultaneously without having multiple VCRs, and recording one program while watching another typically requires additional hardware or an enhanced set-top box. Systems in which program guides allow users to record one program while watching another are described, for example, in Lemmons et al. U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/089,487, filed Jun. 16, 1998 which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
Systems that use hard disk technology to store programs have also been developed. Interactive television program guide systems that have digital storage devices are described, for example, in Hassell et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/157,256, filed Sep. 17, 1998. Hard-disk based products have also been developed by TiVo, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., and Replay Networks, Inc. of Mountain View, Calif. These systems are deficient in that they require additional hardware in the user's home that may significantly increase the cost of the user's home television equipment. Such systems also do not allow users to record multiple programs simultaneously without having multiple devices in the home.
Some current television platforms support a return path between the set-top boxes and the headends. Client-server based program guides have been developed in which set-top boxes act as clients that communicate with servers located at headends via return paths. The servers typically provide program listings information (e.g., program titles and broadcast times) to the set-top boxes in response to requests that are generated by the set-top boxes.
Video-on-demand (VOD) systems have also been developed. Such systems typically record all programs that are distributed by a headend, or only a chosen subset of programs. In the former approach, vast amounts of storage is required at the server to ensure that all possible videos desired by users will be available. In the latter approach, users are limited to viewing only those programs that the headend operator decided to record.
In one cable television system known as “The Box,” viewers can call a cable operator to request the airing of a particular music video from an archive of music videos. The requested videos are broadcast on a dedicated channel for all viewers to see. This approach suffers from a number of deficiencies. First, users do not have the convenience of ordering programs using their television equipment. In addition, viewers must wait for the airing of other viewers' selections before theirs are aired. Also, viewers are limited to selecting videos from only those archived. Some viewers may desire music videos that are not shared in the archive. These viewers have no way of selecting a video for archiving or viewing other videos.
In a cable television system known as “Your Choice TV,” television programs that have previously aired are repeated on a dedicated set of television channels. Viewers may order a repeat of a program for a small fee. However, the repeats are aired at scheduled times, which may not be convenient for the viewer. Also, desired programs may not be available to viewers because the cable system operator decides which programs to record.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a program guide system that allows users to direct a server to record certain programs that later may be played back to the user on demand.